RSU #34 Dear RSU #34 Community, Throughout the day today (Monday, Jan. 4th), a number of families have let us know of exposures to COVID-19 that occurred outside of school during the holidays. Some of these are confirmed positive cases through testing, others have not yet been detected by testing but are very likely COVID-19. We greatly appreciate being... READ MORE >
Greetings! I hope this message finds you making plans for a fun long weekend before school starts on Tuesday! I would like to provide some important information before arrival. First, information has come through this week that all students will be able to have school breakfast and lunch at no cost until December 31st. Students will be going right to their... READ MORE >

September 2020 Dear Parents and Guardians, Here we are headed into another school year. We all have our ideas of what the first day of school is like… new shoes, specially fixed hair, backpack with supplies to be ready for lots of learning, teary goodbyes, moms driving behind the bus as it carries children to school for the first time… ... READ MORE >
The RSU34 schools have each compiled a list of questions and answers that we have been hearing from the public. The link to frequently asked questions for the Alton Elementary School is: https://docs.google.com/docume... READ MORE >
Good afternoon, We seem to be in a groove with the teachers communicating with families through electronic means to provide schoolwork and maintain contact for any needs for which we may offer assistance. The buses run every Thursday with food and grade level packets. Old Town High School continues to be open as a food pick-up location on Thursdays from... READ MORE >

Books are special! They can take you on adventures to new places. They can help you learn more about something new to you! Making books more readily available to kids is the purpose of little community libraries and Alton now has one! Scott Wilcox built a little library so the children in Alton will be able to access books and keep reading through this pandemic... READ MORE >
We are accepting Pre-K and Kindergarten Registration Forms for new students entering Pre-K or Kindergarten in the fall of 2020. Registration packets are available electronically in the documents section of this web site and can be emailed or mailed back to us. A packet can be mailed to you by calling Angela at 827-7171. For Pre-K, you do not need to do the... READ MORE >
COVID-19 SCHOOL CLOSURE UPDATEDAVID WALKERWEDNESDAY, APRIL 08, 2020 Dear RSU34 Family, The following message was shared by the Maine Commissioner of Education last evening: “As you ... know, US CDC guidance recommends an 8 to 20 week timeframe for avoiding large group/in-person instruction once there is evidence of community transmission of COVID-19. I am... READ MORE >
Good morning, We have been missing our students!! On April 6, students will be starting a more interactive learning plan with their teachers. Your child's teacher will have been in contact prior to that to ensure that you have the necessary materials. Each week, there will be a BINGO board on which students will check off activities. This will serve as an... READ MORE >
Alton Elementary School Family update March 20, 2020 Meal Distribution Monday 3/23/20 Meals for children 0-18 will be available for pick up DAILY Monday through Friday (meal distribution for the weekend will be on Friday) by the tent at OTHS from 10am-12pm Daily bus routes will also begin Monday, March 23. Nine buses will depart OTES... READ MORE >

As part of their Diversity of Living Things Unit in Science, 1st & 2nd Grade students explore animal tracks and set up their own scent station with a trail camera to capture photos of local wildlife. READ MORE >

In November the Kindergarten class celebrated a month long unit on Families. We painted pictures of our families, made family trees, graphed our family members, and created a class family book. Our big event was a family breakfast where each student had their family come in and enjoy a big breakfast together. We ate and shared family stories. It was a great time! READ MORE >

First and second graders made posters with facts about diverse living environments and animals gathered from our research project on the desert and rainforest. Students used online resources, and books from our school and classroom library to complete this project. READ MORE >

1st and 2nd Grade are learning about community helpers and how to help the community! Students started their service learning project this year during Fire Prevention Week by making a fire safety poster for our AES lobby. We then learned about people in our community who have jobs that contribute to the greater good. Our project was to help the Old Town Animal... READ MORE >

PreK used pumpkin catapults with Mrs.Daniel last Friday. Miss. Moody and I made larger ones (with big popsicle sticks) and Mrs. Daniel made smaller ones. The class hypothesized which catapults would launch the candy pumpkins the furthest (most students said the big ones). The students broke off into small groups and tried out one size catapult first and... READ MORE >
September 3rd is fast approaching and I am excited to welcome staff and students back for that first day of school! This fall brings a change to the Alton Elementary School! Increasing enrollment at Old Town Elementary School necessitated a transfer of their pre-kindergarten program to the Alton and Bradley elementary schools. This year, Ms. (Brianne) Lees... READ MORE >

Pre-kindergarten students had a fun visit from Danny Pelletier's dad who is a Maine Guide and who has a dog sled team. Students got a close up view of the sled and harness used for pulling, then Dan offered rides to any of the kids who wanted to try it! It was a beautiful day near the end of the snow season and students greatly enjoyed the special visit! READ MORE >
The kindergarten and first grade classroom was transformed into Dino Land!! We had fun learning all about dinosaur names and facts. We wrote non-fiction books, dug for fossils in the sand table, and made dinosaurs on the light table. We painted dinosaurs on the easel too. We had to chisel out baby dinosaurs from ice eggs. That was fun! We used paper towel and... READ MORE >
Alton Elementary School Second Graders collaborate with local business owner to brighten up Orono Commons with planters filled with beautiful annuals. Donna Lee Ayer, owner of Firefly Farm Landscaping (and Mrs. V’s mom) donated six packs, soil, and flower seeds for AES Second Graders to kick off their service learning project. Students will grow these... READ MORE >
AES Second Graders learn about sound and light waves in their last Science unit. Students learned about sound waves and vibrations by experimenting with how sound travels through different materials. Students learned how light waves travel through different materials and made sun catchers with reflective, opaque, translucent, and transparent materials. ... READ MORE >
The 100th day finally came!! Kindergarten and first grade students celebrated all day long with activities involving the number 100. We made fruit loop necklaces, built towers with 100 cups, we had a candy kisses number hunt, and had to build with 100 legos. What a fun way to celebrate math! READ MORE >

Fruit Science was offered to all ages at Alton Elementary. There were 19 students signed up each week. In fruit science students learned a lot about apples. The kit was borrowed from the UMaine 4H club. Week 1 - Taking a look at germs and how to stop the spread of them, speeding up food spoilage. Week 2 - Apple taste testing and graphing. Week 3 - How to... READ MORE >

Students in Ms. Fox's class invited Jock Robe, from UMaine to come and make apple cider with the class. This was part of a unit call food preservation. They learned how using different types of apples makes the cider sweeter. Also, it taught them not to be wasteful because there are different ways to use what they felt was unusable apples. The... READ MORE >
Third and Fourth graders created a 3D map. Each child, after researching businesses in our local RSU34 community. The map included Alton, Bradley, and Old Town. Students were able to use the 3D printer to create several of the businesses. The class learned how important these businesses are economically to each town. Located on the maps are major... READ MORE >

On December 5th, there will be a Family Code Night at the Alton Elementary School. All 2nd-5th grade students in RSU34 are welcome to participate in this exciting event! The fun will start at 6:00pm. Please call the Alton school at 394-2331to RSVP if you will be able to join us! Let us know if you would need a device for the evening; tablets, chrome books or... READ MORE >

This fall, we are resuming the mileage club! Students are doing laps on the field by the driveway and racking up miles! From pre-k through 4th grade, students are earning "toe tokens" for running or walking. Teachers track the days and students rack up the mileage. As they earn the tokens, they keep them on a chain to show the great effort they have put in! ... READ MORE >
The Dykstra family suffered the complete loss of their home at the beginning of October due to a fire. Please join us in supporting John and Shellee as they start the process of rebuilding their home. This chili supper will be held at the Alton Elementary School on Sunday, November 4th from 4:30 – 6:30. The menu is chili, rolls, salad & beverages. There will... READ MORE >

September 4th is fast approaching and I am excited to welcome staff and students back for that first day of school! There has been a lot of preparation for the upcoming school year during these lovely summer days. We are anticipating a full pre-kindergarten group this fall for Ms. Lees’ morning class. A small kindergarten has lead to a combination of that class... READ MORE >